Coiling-machine.



A. MOMURTRIB. COILING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCTfl, 1910. 1,1 17,685, Patented NW1?, 1914.

lA//T/VESLES M VVE/vm@ f fw ma W narran Israiris PATENT OFFICE.

ADNAH MCMURTRIE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB. TO THOMAS & BETTSCOMPAN'.. OF NEXV YDRK, Y.. A CORPORATION OF NE'W YORK.

Specification of/retters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17,1.514.

Application sied october i, 1510. seri-a1 No. 584,924.

To all '101cm z't may concern Be it known that I, ADNAH MCMURTma, of NewYork, N. Y., have invented certain Improvements in CoilingLMachines, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a speciiication, like references on the drawingsdesignating like parts.

This invention relates to coiling machines, and is of particular utilitywhen employed in apparatus for manufacture of the helically coiled metalstrip used as a protective armor sheath for insulated electricalconductors, although I contemplate the use of my improvements in anyfield to which they object will be made the subject of aseparateapplication.

Another important object of my invention is to accomplish, in a unitaryoperation with the aforesaid helical shaping of the tube, the lateraldeformation of the strip along the axis of the helix, which isordinarily accomplished by treatment of the strip in a separate machinepreliminary to the coiling operation, in order to impart to the stripthe lateral curvature which has usually constituted the preparation ofthe strip for its helical formation.

My inventionutilizes a straight strip in@ stead of a laterally curvedstrip, in the heiix ceiling machine.

Armor strips at the present time are of substantial width and thicknessowing to the requirements of the fire underwriters and buildingauthorities. and the exigencies of inode-rn building, which malte itnecessary that the armor `shall so fa r as possible be capable ofresisting puncture by nails and other destructive agencies, and such asubstantial armor strip is ditlicult to deform laterally, especiallywhen the strip is of a more or less acutely bent cross section forpurposes of causing interlocking of the convolutions in their helicalform, these dilli` culties militating strongly against a vreadyreduction of the strip to final spiral form during the formation of thefirst convolution, as has been the practice heretofore in themanufactureof such armor sheatlis.

Any suitable device may be adopted to carry my invention into etect, andas the preferred form of such device. I may employ an apparatuscomprising rolls presenting working surfaces for engagement with thestrip at an angle to the axis of the helix of its formation, the angularrelation being secured as desired and found suitable in varioussituations, as for example, by using tapered rolls.

The various features of my invention will be illustrated and describedfully in the accompanying drawings and specification .and pointed out'inclaims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a. view in frontelevation of the preferredform of apparatus for carrying my invention into elfect, and in theconstruction of which my improvements have been embodied; Fig. 2 is aconventional section taken on the line .eL-m2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is afragmentary View similar to F ig. 2 of a modified form of machine; WhileFig. a shows the preferred form of strip in cross-section.

In the embodiment of my invention selected for illustration anddescription to permit a ready and complete understanding of thepreferred manner in which my invention may be carried into effect, thepart designated by the reference numeral 1 is a device for deforming thestrip constituting the stock under treatment, to form a flexiblemetallic armor tube in the instance illus trated, and the device itselfmay be of any suitable character and material to accomplish the desiredresult.

In accordance with my invention the de- Yicc acts upon the strip nearits point of entry Vand a1? a suitable distance from kthe helical axis.this distance being greater than the radius of the completed sheath, andin the instance illustrated this purpose is seri-ml by utilizing. forthe'deformation of the strip helically, a rollof ta ered periphery,formed. as a sleeve secured y suitable means, suchy place, Whererequired. The Anumber of these..

rolls may be varied as desired and found 3 5 suitable to the exi encies.of the work in: hand'xthus I have shown four rolls bearing.l `the ri-terencenumerals 1, 2, 3 anda respectivel `teach'with ian-arbor?, and I.prefer also' t /provide the apparatus with means to drive these rollspositively, for -which pur-l ose I have shown the arbors 7 as extendedyoud the bearing standard 9, and provided respectively with pinions 13,pinned at'14i and 142 res ctively to their arbors, and g5 meshing wit aear lsecured by key 16 upon a hollow s aft 17, also journaled in theframe upright 9, this shaft, being provided-with suitable means such asthe ear Y 18 keyed thereto at 19 to-,permit the siaft 3o to be drivenfrom` a suitable .source of power (not shown). Suitable means may berovided, such as the collar 20, to hold the s aft 17 in place in itsbearings, and I have shown .,a' bearing standard 21 bolted at 22 to the85 base 10 and affording a bearing at 23 to the hollow shaft, the faceof the standard being counter-sunk at 240 to receive the collar 20, andthis standard may alsobe utilized as an .auxiliary bearing for thearbore 7.

40 When 1t is desired to form the sheath 25 in place upon an insulatedconductor, such as that shown at 26, the latter may be intro# duced tothe sheath through the axial bore .of the'shaft 17 ,and the insulatedconductor l will preferably, but not necessarily, be rotated withtheshaft 17 and sheath 25 during ,the formation of the latter, butAinasmuch as such insulated conductors are ordinarily of non-circularcontour, as illustrated, the sheath need not fit thereupon with greatercloseness than will constitute an easy7 sli lit, the conductorperforming no specific unction in the formation ofthe Iconvolutions ofthe sheath, as will be readily' understood upon reference to Fig. 2 ofthe drawings. The relatively large distance between the y rolls at theirsmaller tapered end, and the corres ondingly large diameter of the firstconvo ution,l renders its lateral deformation easy, so'that the helicallay 1s imparted with least resistance on the part of the strip,

, .*rst'convolution has been accomplished, the s l'ihesqiient reductionof the ,diameter of the I do not claim herein specifically certainy tothe elimination of much of thev resistance to bending, and when thehelix is accomplished by successive circuiti ferential bending' strainsand by increasing lateral deformation.

Inthepreferred form of machine illustrated in Eig. 2, the hollow shaft'l41'? 'zt nates outside of the regioniof operation` of the rolls, but Imy provide a mandrel of suitable llen h, an substantial construcv tionand arrangement, as for example by" providing the hollow shaft 17 75gral extension 170, which -may be formed tapered as indicated by thedotted ylines in I have shown in Fig o modified form of,

mandrel 177 constituting anl integral entenv ,l sion of the hbllow shaft117, but of suicient'-' length to cooperate with a substantial por-4tion of the tapered surfaces 124of'the rolls 96 101, 102, which aremounted ,in standards and 90 upon a base 110, preferably correspondin inessential respects with similar.. arts a ready described with referenceto `ig. 2. -In Fig. 3 I have shown the rolls as 100 comprising sleeves101, 102 secured by keys 106 upon arbore 70, the arbore being drivensuitablyl by mechanism not shown but which may` correspond Iconvenientlyto that shown in ig.'2.

I have shown in Fig. 4 .in cross-section, one convenient form ofstrip 5,foruse in the manufacture of helical sheathe, but-I do not limit myselfto any particular cross section of stri for this purpose.-IIav1ngillustrated and described my invention thus fully, 'and suitablemeans by which it may be carried into effect, I wish it to be understoodthat I do not limit myself to the speciiic construction and materials lshown and described by way of example; nor do I limitmyself ingeneral'otherwise` than as set forth in 'the claims read in connectionwith this specification.

features of construction which are made theA f y subject matterof claimsin my co-pending applications Serial Nos.' 584,923;v '584i,925;- 584,92;and 584,927; tiled on the same day as the present application. .l Jj ii,

What I claim as-new.and desi've tpecure f by Letters Patent ofthe UnitedStates of America, isz-` 1. Coiling apparatus; comprising a seriesA ofrolls to be engaged With-a.` strip for the 13o saifi ioiis ine- S ofiieiii;

ooves piogresheiicai eonieiion jiie ing grouped fioun the and pi'ovidefiwith a siveiy nearer siiifi progressimi?` n Coiiing an* i' singpinraiity of tapa-eo mils gionped theii tapered surfaces dieposeflanguiariy about a connnon :iiiis o forni iiepioai coni/ofi tions ofprogressively naf wing xi'ainetei in a strip along sumnunfilng sindexis.

3. Coiing apparatus; comprising' noiioW shaft; and. :i @infinity oi'tapeied rolls .grouped aiioii the anis of seid shaft with their tapeedsurfaces disposed. angina-ily reiativeiy tiieieto o om a s'rip imo progressiveiy narrowing heiieai convolution@ surrounding an. insuiaeieonfiuetor led through said shaft along axis between said ioiis.

4:. Coiiing appaiatus; comprising a holion' Shaft; and a piuraity oftapered rolis grouped about he axis of said shaft with Liieir ioi'gerends adjacent to each other to- Ward the month of said shaft to form astrip into pifogressiveiy narrowing helical como iutions suirounding aninsulated conductoz ien through said shaft along said axis be- 'o'eensaid foils, and said ends being so spaced 'ahnt said heiicaisheath soformed snail be of substantiaiiy uniform inner diameer approximating themaximum thickness of the conciucor contained therein.

Signed at New Yoi'k in the' country and Stae of New York this 22nd dayof Septeinoer, 1?;10.

ADNAH MCMURTRIE.

'Winessesr XVM. H. MCCORMICK, Ami-:ANDER C. PROUDFIT.

